Cooking for the pantry

Monday morning I was making a wrap sandwich to have for lunch.  Now you have to realize that this is about 5:45 am, because I need to get to work by 7:00 am and I have a half-hour commute, I haven’t showered yet, and I have to wake up and feed the livestock (2 parrots and 8 parakeets).  This means that time is precious AND I’ve just emerged from sleep, so skill and creativity are not in good supply.  I grab a frozen wrap and microwave it for 40 seconds to thaw it.  Slather it with homemade chipotle mayonnaise, add some lettuce, tomatoes, pickled bell peppers, pickled jalapeños, and a couple of slices of bacon.  Roll up the wraps in aluminum foil and this will be great around seven hours later for lunch.

Later, it occurred to me that the mayonnaise, bell peppers, jalapeños, and bacon were all things that I’d prepared previously and stashed in the fridge.  It got me thinking about how much of my time in the kitchen is spent on things that go into the fridge or pantry for future use.

I really treasure the time I spend in the kitchen.  I love the time spent cutting and mixing and whisking and sautéing and steaming and whatever.  I spend my work life in meetings, dealing with people and spreadsheets and numbers and money and I love that too.  Believe it or not, I get as much satisfaction from a perfectly constructed spreadsheet as I do from a perfectly diced shallot but I need both.  I find an intense joy in creating flavorful food that me and (especially) my true love find pleasurable.

This means that on weekends, I often spend time in the kitchen making things that aren’t intended to be part of that night’s meal.  This could be making condiments like chipotle mayonnaise or pickling various things or making spice blends or simply cooking things ahead of time, and that’s where we’re going on today’s post.

Last Sunday, I cooked up a pound of sliced bacon that could be used in sandwiches or salads during the week. This isn’t rocket science  – put the pre-sliced bacon in a lined baking pan at 425° for 20 minutes and you get a pound of cooked bacon for the rest of the week.  No big deal, but it saves time on Thursday morning when you’re thinking about lunch and it smells great on Sunday when you’re prepping the rest of your ingredients.

Right after I put the bacon in the oven, I started working on my slow roasted tomatoes.  This little gems are rich in tomato flavor and are fantastic in salads, as garnishes, or in sauces.  I always try to keep a couple of pints or so on hand.  From there, I began to pickle.

Do you pickle?  I just started a couple of years ago and I’ve been surprised at how much I use pickled veggies.  My all time favorite are pickled daikon radishes.  These are the long, big, white Japanese radishes and I’ve seen something like this in Japanese restaurants.  Mix rice vinegar, water, sugar, and turmeric in a saucepan and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar and turmeric.  Meanwhile, slice the radish into 1/4 rounds, sprinkle with salt and let sit for about a half-hour.  Rinse and dry the radishes, cover with the liquid and chill.  They are sweet, salty, and acidic all at the same time and totally delicious and can be used in salads or as an appetizer.

The pickled bell peppers are similar but a little more generic.  Cut the peppers into bite sized pieces (if you want to roast them over an open flame first, that works really well), getting rid of the ribs and seeds.  In a saucepan, combine water, salt, sugar, and white vinegar and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar and salt.  Let the liquid cool for a bit and then pour over the peppers, adding

a couple cloves of garlic and your favorite pickling spices.  Refrigerate and then you’ve got a special addition to salads, sandwiches, or even garnishes to a main course.  This same technique works with jalapeños, carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts, onions, and who knows what else.

The tomatoes, bacon, and pickles were all replenishments of things I do every once in a while and are regular parts of my pantry.  I made a spice blend last Sunday that has immediately earned a permanent position in my space rack – a Mexican spice blend I adapted from Mark Stevens’ Cooking with Spices: 100 Recipes for Blends, Marinades, and Sauces from Around the World.  It’s a mixture of 9 spices that is a snap to put together but really adds a depth and warmth to almost anything.  I’ve used it mixed with a little olive oil to top a fish filet before broiling, mixed with olive oil to brief saute a rice and spinach mixture, and a seasoning in a mixture of leftover roasted vegetables.  In all three dishes it held it’s own flavor while allowing the main ingredient to stay front and center.  I haven’t done a lot of Mexican cooking before, but I’m not anywhere close to finished experimenting with this delightful blend.

Recipes – Mexican spice blend

Ingredients

1 tsp whole allspice

1 tbl cumin seeds, toasted

2 tsp sumac

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tbl smoked paprika

1 tbl coarse salt

2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp dried Mexican oregano

1 tsp cocoa powder

Directions

Grind the coarse ingredients (allspice, cumin, peppercorns, salt) in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.  Add the powdered ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Store in an airtight container away from the light.

Recipe – Quick picked peppers

Ingredients

3 bell peppers, preferably different colors, seeded and chopped into bite sized pieces

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

1/4 cup salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tbl pickling spice

Directions

Add the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a sauce pan and boil until the sugar and salt are dissolved.  Let cool.  Put the peppers in a bowl that can be sealed.  When the liquid is cool, add it, the garlic, and pickling spice to the peppers.  Make sure the peppers are covered by the liquid.  Seal and refrigerate for at least three hours before serving.